Twilight fan hit by car and killed at Comic-Con

K.C. Alfred

A 53-year-old Comic-Con visitor was struck by a car and killed in front of the convention center on Harbor Drive at 5th Ave. on Tuesday, July 10, 2012. According to police, the woman was in crosswalk, but went against the light when she was struck. Here, police secure the scene.

A 53-year-old Comic-Con visitor was struck by a car and killed in front of the convention center on Harbor Drive at 5th Ave. on Tuesday, July 10, 2012. According to police, the woman was in crosswalk, but went against the light when she was struck. Here, police secure the scene. (K.C. Alfred)

Gisela Gagliardi poses with "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson in a 2010 photo posted on her Facebook page. A bouquet of flowers was left at the intersection where a Comic-Con fan was struck and killed by a car on Harbor Drive. She was using the crosswalk, but ran into the road on a red light, police said. — Pauline Repard

A 53-year-old Comic-Con fan who had been camping in front of the San Diego Convention Center to secure a place at the popular “Twilight” panel was struck by a car and killed Tuesday.

The woman was in a crosswalk and had a red light when she tried to run across Harbor Drive toward the convention center about 9:20 a.m., said police Sgt. Ron Glass.

The driver of one car saw her and slowed down, but the driver of a Subaru Outback didn’t see her in time, Glass said. The pedestrian tried to stop her own momentum when she saw the oncoming Subaru but tripped and hit the side of the car, Glass said.

He said the woman was crossing the street alone, and there were apparently no other pedestrians nearby who witnessed the accident.

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An ambulance took the unconscious woman, who was bleeding profusely from her head, to a hospital where she died.

Friends on social media networks have identified her as Gisela Gagliardi, an accountant visiting from Kingston, N.Y.

The 67-year-old driver, a San Diego man, stopped and was interviewed by officers. His wife was a passenger, Glass said.

Police closed westbound Harbor Drive from Fifth to Eighth avenues for more than two hours while they investigated the crash, said police Lt. Andra Brown. The road has since reopened.

Comic-Con fans said Gagliardi, who was with a group, had been in line since Sunday for the panel for “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2,” set for Thursday afternoon in Hall H. The highly anticipated panel will include cast appearances and exclusive footage from the movie.

Fans said the convention center staff was about to switch the line, so the beginning became the end, and that she was running to keeping her place in line.

“It’s such a sad loss for our community,” said 23-year-old Melissa Sandate of Tucson, who is a fellow fan of the teen vampire saga.

She said Gagliardi was not wearing a costume at the time.

Gagliardi’s passion for “Twilight” is well-documented on her Facebook page. In 2010, she posted a photo of her and a friend posing with the movie’s star, Robert Pattinson, in Los Angeles. She also mentions standing in line at Comic-Con last year.

“It is with tremendous sadness that we offer our heartfelt condolences,” said Comic-Con spokesman David Glanzer. “Our sincere thoughts and prayers go out to all those involved in this tragic incident.”

Shortly after the crash, fans took to Twitter under the hashtag #RIPTwiFanG to express condolences. They said they were working to organize a moment of silence. A memorial fund has been set up for her family.